Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-07-05
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, June 81.
The best meals Of the capital are served at
private houses, and number of the million
aire senators keep French cooks, who are as
much skilled in their art as are the profess
sors of the Smithsonian institution in scien-
tific matters. Some OF the big houses of
these public men have kitchens as large as
those of a summer hotel, and Secretary Whit
ney owns a range which would cook the
meals for an army. have told you of Sena-
tor Palmer's kitchen in the attic of his $S5 900
palace, but did not say that his cook stove
is set into the wall, and that its oven is big
enough to roast a good sized sheep without
doubling up its legs to make room for the
rest of the body. The White House kitchen
is part Of the executive mansion that the
president does not care to exhibit to strangers.
but it has two big stoves, and the Swiss cook
who presides over it does all of his cooking
in copper utensils. The chef has number
of assistants under him, and as he works he
is dressed in white, wearing snowy apron,
q white cap, which bulges out at the top, and
q white jacket. He is the king of the base
ment Of the White House, and his realm,
with its rooms divided by massive walls,
looks like prison. These walls are several
feet thick and the whole of the basement of
the White House is as clean as a new pin
Whitewash is literally distributed on every
SIDE and you will not find a sweeter smell
anywhere than here. There Is never any
olor Of the cooking perceptible outside of
this basement, and the nostrls of President
and Mrs. Cleveland are not tickled with ham
or terrapn until they appear on the table Of
the private dining room of the White House.
President Arthur paid his cook 81 800 a
year. and the present chef probably gets an
equally high salary. Arthur was an epicure
and he pleased his stomach with dinners that
cost him on the average, it is said, at least S.
plate. He did great deal more of private
entertaining than does President Cleveland
and he never sat down to dinner without
wine. His wine bills must have been very
heavy, and some Of his state dinners cost
from $500 to 81 600 each. This seems to be a
good deal to pay for a dinner for thirty or
fifty persons, but dinners at the better class
Of Washington restaurants with wines will
cost from 81 plate upward, and very fair
dinner for club will cost s. plate. There
is a club Of about thirty young men here who
pay this price for a monthly dinner, and for
the sum of $50 Welcker, Chamberlain or
Wormley will give them fair feast with
several kinds of excellent wine, embracing
champaign, sauterne, a good claret, and end
ing with a first class punch.
~
Each Of the three places above spoken of
are restaurants of national note. Charles
Dickens complimented Welcker's cooking as
being the best he had ever tasted, and the res
taurant has copy Of his letter to this effect
This, however, was when Dickens visited
Washington years ago, and the cook referred
to is probably now under the sod Welcker's.
however, still holds its own, and it has many
public men among its guests. John Welcker
was Belgian, and he used to give dinners
which cost So Plate. lie had l-..-., 60
nected With his restaurant which rented at 50
a day, and during one congressional session
he gave two dinners day each which aver
aged 800 and the guests of which numbered
about twelve persons